Lily is 8 months old!

Well, this Sunday, Lily turns 8 months old...

For awhile, I couldn't see past 6 months.  6 months seemed so old and I just couldn't see it, but here we are...8 months.

Lily is doing fabulous.  When ECI came on July 13th, Lily was 22 lbs 9 oz and 29" long and working on her 9-12 month milestones.

Here are some of the fun things she has done this month!

She refers to Brandon as "ya-ya" and she is saying "ma-ma" in reference to me.
Dancing- July 15th after her Kindermusik class
Walking along the couch and her toys
Letting go while standing and balancing
Babbling lots- Almost like she is trying to hold a conversation with you
Crawling super fast!
Lily is drinking out of a sippy cup 4x a day and only gets a bottle at bedtime...I honestly think she will be fine if I take away the bedtime bottle, but I just can't do it yet!  That's totally a mommy issue!
She is mimicking while playing...We play farm with her stuffed animals and pretend to feed them the farm veggies.  She picks them up and mimics what we do. 
She has learned how to safely get down from standing.  For awhile, she was plopping down, but now she has the muscle strength to slowly lower herself into a sitting position.
She is loving regular food...just loving it.  Girlfriend is a veggie baby.  It's all I give her for meals and for snacks I give her fruit, yogurt or a fruit cereal bar.  Last month, I started giving her sliced turkey and she loves it too. 

Here are some of the fun things she enjoys this month!

Barney...Barney brings lots of smiles in this house.  She doesn't care for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as much anymore, but still watches it first thing in the morning.
She is on a roll with independent play.  She will play by herself for a good while.  It makes things so much easier now that she can get around and doesn't need me for entertainment purposes!
Musical Instruments....since we have been going to Kindermusik, she has started liking to make noise with her xylophone and beating on other things.  I need to get her more instruments!
Taking the majority of her balls out of her ballpit.  Thanks to cousin Drew for teaching her this!!!!   :)
Baby Mum-Mums...Can you say obsessed?  We can't even say cracker to her until after she eats her food.  She would eat them all day if she could!

Lily is in 18 month clothes...The 12 month clothing we have fits, but is getting kind of tight.

Here are a few videos!


In this video, if you will see how independent she is becoming...she is like, "I can do this.  Let me go and I'll do it by myself!"


In this video, you can hear her starting to say da-da!

If you want to see more pictures, you can visit our Picasa site at:
Our Picasa Photo Site
We also have 82 videos up on youtube now!  Here is our page there:

Our YouTube videos

Lots of nothing going on...

We've been kinda bored around here the past month.  Lil and I are spending a lot of time in the house unfortunately watching Disney Sing A Long dvds because it is just so hot out!  We have those great pools, but it is just too hot and sunny to bring out little red.  To top it off, we've had severe ozone warnings the past week here and they recommend staying indoors...especially with the little ones. 

Lily is doing so many fun things.  It is so exciting watching her discover herself and her world.  Everything is new and exciting and she always greets new things with a smile.  I wish I still had that innocence, or at least the ability to look at new things with excitement instead of hesitation.  She really is amazing and brings a whole new light to life. 

So, I hate to say it but I think last month, I started to go through a little PPD.  I felt like I was losing control.  I consulted the doctor though and they adjusted my meds.  I have to say, it has made a WORLD of difference.  I feel really good now.  I feel like I am able to really enjoy and embrace the sweet moments instead of getting frustrated because she won't go to sleep or because she won't stay still!  I had to do something about it and I"m so glad I did.  Everything is going by so fast, I don't want to look back and regret being frustrated while putting her to sleep instead of enjoying it.

Anywho, she is doing great and we are all doing good over here.  Brandon is working tons, but that's ok.  I can't wait to do Lily's 8 month update.  She is doing so many fun things these days and we are ridiculously excited about them.  It's kinda pathetic that we video everything on our phones, but the iphones are great to catch all these moments.  We are so proud of her...I think our youtube account has like 80 videos...

This past week,  Jennifer brought us an amazing gift!  75 bottles of pre-mixed Similac Sensitive that was donated to ECI by one of the families she works with!  Unfortunately, this family is having lots of problems.  The family had triplets and two of them died and the other one is very handicapped.  The mom then got pregnant with twins and both of them are very sick.  One has her organs reversed and the other has severe bowel problems.  They are on WIC and are trying lots of different formulas.  They bought the 75 bottles of the Similac Sensitive and then had to switch to one with a probiotic as the last attempt before the one with the bowel problems gets a feeding tube.  We are the only ones of Jennifer's clients that are using Similac Sensitive so she brought them to us!  We are so very grateful.  Formula is expensive and Lily is now drinking about 23 oz/day, so the 75 bottles will probably get us all the way through her first year!  We may not have to buy formula again for her!  Yeayyy! 

Things are really changing for us around here.  As I said in one of my last posts, Lil is crawling now and is all over the house.  We have been childproofing everything....to say the least.  I'll update around the 1st with her 8 month update!

Lily's last neurology appointment; and house guests!

It seems like just yesterday I was having to post about this for the first time and today, we have officially gone to our last neurology appointment at Texas Children's Hospital.  The last one scheduled.  Today (Thursday) we are starting the process of weaning Lil off of her medication and do not need to see Dr. Proud unless Lil has another seizure.  We will go down a dose a week, so by the end of the month, she should be completely off of it.  Dr. Proud prescribed us a DiaStat gel in case she has another one that lasts more than 5 min or she starts having clusters of them again.  I hope we don't have to use it, and as much as I am over the moon that we over this hurdle, our appointment today was was kinda of bittersweet.  It was seriously like we hit a huge milestone.  Like these seizures are truly a thing of the past.  Don't get me wrong, it's not like we walk around all day just completely unable to get over what happened, but today I had an odd feeling when Dr. Proud sent us on our way.  I just can't explain it.  It was sadness, mixed with fear but mostly a resolution.  I think...I still can't pinpoint it. 

Lil has been doing great.  Crawling everywhere and really playing on her own a lot.  I think we will be expecting a few more teeth soon because they seem to be bothering her a lot this week. 

This week, Candice, Dave, Abby and Drew are coming to visit!  They are moving from San Diego to Maryland and Dave is driving through and gonna stop by.  Candice and the kids will be in LA, so they are going to come by too on Tuesday!  Lily is going to love playing with her cousins.  I am so excited to see them all together!  Hopefully the weather cooperates and we can bring the kids to the pool.  I am dying to bring Abby and Drew there!.  I really think they are going to love it!   Then they leave and drive through to Covington and then on to Maryland where they will be living for a few years.  Hopefully, we will be able to get up there soon and visit.  We are throwing around a few ideas...

Anywho, battery is about to die!  Take care! :)

Lily is 7 months old!

Hello all! 
I decided to wait and update till just a day or two before her official "7 month birthday" because last month, she did SOOO much the last few days, I had to edit my post like 3 times.  Good thing I did because she learned to crawl yesterday!  I can't believe we're already at 7 months and I can't believe she is crawling!  It seems like just yesterday, she didn't move at all!  So crazy.  She has been scooting for awhile, but now she is everywhere.  It's like it was overnight.  The day she started crawling (June 28, 2010), she also started pulling up on everything.  All her tables, the couch...EVERYTHING! 
7 months already, I just can't believe it!
Jennifer came last week and she said everything looked good with Lil.  She is working on her 9-12 month milestones.  She also said that it looks like Lily might be an early walker...which I kinda agree with, but who knows.

Here are her stats...
Lily is now:
21 lbs 14 oz
28" long

Her weight has really leveled out since we have started the solids and she is now moving so much.  

Here is a video of her crawling!


 Here is another video of her pulling up!


She is doing so much these days!
Here are a few of the things she has accomplished this month!

Shaking her head "no"
Waving "hello" and "bye bye"
Pulling to stand
Crawling
Going from laying down to sitting 
Picking up hands whilst standing against things
When she crys for me, she crys, "Mmmmm"
Started reaching for people
Touching people's faces
First trip to the beach
First time on a super long car ride (12 hours)
Learned to turn off the lights when she sees a light switch

Things she LOVES!
The Hot Dog Dance...all things stop when that song comes on and it totally soothes her
Disney Sing A Longs
Lily loves the water! 
The cats....she squeels and gets so excited when they come near her!
Blowing raspberries...she does it to be cute and thinks it is funny

Favorite  Toys
Her hairbrush
Her hangers
Activity Tables
Paper

Lily was also christened this month on June 27th 2010.  My brother, Tim and my sister, Ali were Lily's godfather and godmother.  We had family come in for her big day and had a small shindig at our house afterwards.  It was really nice.  Ann also came to the christening and took photos of the event for us.  They came out great!  Here are a few!

On the first of July, we go for Lil's neurology appointment.  We haven't had a seizure since she was born so hopefully they will take her off of the medication, but who knows.  I'll keep everyone updated!

EDIT:
I forgot to update everyone how my lower back healed...The next day, after taking that ibuprofin 3 that night, the pain went away!  I guess there was inflammation and the ibuprofen helped it go away which made everything feel better.  It was the weirdest thing, but it's gone and I am happy!

To the man of my dreams...

I know I am writing this a little early, but I have a spare second right now, and I wanted to get this in before Father's Day.  This will be Brandon's first offical Father's Day.  This time last year, we just had a little pea in the pod and honestly, HAD NO CLUE what being parents would involve.  It seems like eons since last June, but I can't believe it was only 1 year ago.  We have grown up so much since then.  Brandon is, by far, the best father and husband that Lily and I could have asked for.  He is so loving to both of us and goes out of his way to make sure his girls are happy.  Right now, we are going through a time where Lily won't take to anyone but mom when she is tired.  This makes it really hard to keep my sanity, but it helps to know that Brandon is there and so willing to help.  He really wants to help and wants so badly to rock Lily to sleep and have her stay asleep!  We'll get there.  I promise, babe.  She's just going through a phase right now. 

Come 5 or 6 in the evening, Lily and I are both ready for her daddy to be home.  We go outside a lot when we know he is on his way home and blow bubbles in the driveway or just watch the kids in the neighborhood play.  The second he drives up in my car, she lights up!  He gets out of the car and she squeals and jumps because she is so excited to see him!  She laughs and cuddles him the whole way into the house.  She is such a daddy's little girl, and it's just a matter of time till I'm chopped liver and he is the center of her world.  I don't blame her though.  I love him tons too. 

Brandon, we've been through a lot this year.  We've seen things that have scared the living hell out of us and we've seen the birth of  a little beauty into this world.  Everyday she grows, I look at you and can't believe that we made this precious little life.  I'm proud of her and frankly, I'm pretty proud of us too. 
Happy Father's Day, Love. 
Lily and I love you more than words can express and we'll always be here for you. 
"You can call me Flower, if you want to..." :)

Sleep disturbance

You learn a lot as a new mother. 
Time and time again, I heard "my baby is sleeping through the night" blah blah blah.  Well, there needs to be a clarification for the benefit of other new mothers.  Your baby may go through the night without eating and sleeps all night, but is that to say your baby will ALWAYS sleep through the night?  Nope.  They may not eat all night long, but when they are learning new things or anything for that matter, they don't sleep through the night.  

It seems as if it's not one thing, it's another.  For awhile, we figured it was Lily's teeth bothering her so it didn't surprise me she wasn't sleeping well.  Well, we were proved right when she cut her first tooth the other day.  Granted, it's only been a few days, so her teeth are still bothering her, but now she is cutting teeth AND she is learning how to crawl.  She's really been trying to crawl the past few days.  You never think this would disturb their sleep, but it does.  It's kind of amazing.  It is seriously like this.  She goes to sleep and then rolls on her tummy.  During REM sleep, she must briefly wake and realize she is on her tummy and her first instinct is to try out what she is learning how to do....crawl.  She gets up into position, eyes still closed and starts rocking, but crying because she doesn't know how she got there.  I pick her up for a second and she is fast asleep...for awhile till her next REM cycle.  So weird, but it really makes you think about how much these little babies are going through and all the cool things their brains are doing.  It's becoming instinct to them and it's like they can't keep up with all the cool things their little bodies are doing.  It seemed like just yesterday we were super excited she was grabbing for things and now she's almost crawling.  It all goes by so fast.  She is learning how to do so much...and it's just been 6 months.   

I have a funny story about Drew that I just have to tell.  Lily is proving to be a lot like him in many areas.  In November, Candice and Drew came to stay with us to help us out right before Lily was to be born.  Well, Drew was super close to crawling.  Really giving it his all to crawl, but it just wasn't happening. Well, one day all 4 of us (Bran, Candice, me and Drew) went to see "New Moon".  In the movie, they have wolves who are running around and yadda yadda yadda, well when we got home that evening, Candice put Drew on the ground and the second he touched the ground, he started to crawl.  We say that he saw the wolves do it and figured out how to do it!  Seriously though, it was like he was thinking all day about how he was going to do it when he got home and he just did it.  Days later, he was trying to pull up on EVERYTHING!  It's amazing how just all of a sudden they get it and are on to the next thing. 

I just wish I could slow her down a little. Just a little. It's going by so fast.  She is already half a year old and it is breaking my heart. There are some moments I just want to stop time and just listen to her "talk" to me or times I just never want her to stop laughing.   It seriously is the sweetest sound in the world and I can never get enough of it.  Anywho, I need to stop writing, or I am going to cry.  Goodnight all! :)

HELP!!!! It's been a stupid day.

Today was a day.  A stupid day as I am going to refer to it. 

The morning started as this...I was taking the bumpers out and changing the sheets in Lily's bed this morning and apparently I did something to my tailbone area.  The set up of the convertible cribs make it damn near impossible to change the sheets.  Usually, Brandon would do it, but he was at a dentist appointment.  Anyways, I don't know what I did, but IT HURTS and I can't sit down and stand up.  When I am up, I am a little unsteady on my feet, but I am fine.  It's getting up and down that is the problem. 
This started going on and Brandon came back from his dentist appointment.  The dentist thinks he has an infection in his gums so he has to go see a specialist.  Great..  Not good, but we'll deal and get it taken care of as soon as possible. 

Soon thereafter, we trekked out to the big Babies R Us to get a breathable bumper before Brandon's ENT appointment.  Leaving Babies R Us, Lily starts to get irate.  We just fed her in the buggy, so I don't know what's going on.  She screamed just about all the way to Kingwood Hospital where Brandon's appointment was.  We get there and she is STILL a mess.  I can barely move, she is fussy and wiggly and you need to be quiet in these offices because they do hearing tests in there.  I go outside the office and sit on a bench while she fusses.  She calms down and I decide to go back inside.  I can't get up.  Lily is 20 lbs and I just couldn't do it.  I was trying to send ESP messages to Brandon to get him to turn around and look out the window at me, but it didn't work.  After a lot of scooting around, I finally get up, but the ordeal was so cumbersome, it made Lily fussy again. 

 I go back inside and we get called back.  The doctor was amazing, but they move you around to 3 rooms!  Lots of up and down.  By this point, I am considering walking over to the ER to get them to figure this out, but I know all they would do would give me pain meds and send me on my way to make an appointment with a doctor.  No thanks. 

During the hearing test, I am sitting in a smaller waiting room with Lily.  She is wiggling and fussy and I honestly just want to toss her out the window.  I normally wouldn't care too much but I was in serious pain and she was supposed to be quiet because they were doing the hearing test in the next room!  She drops a toy and I can't pick it up.  A woman who is easily in her 80's hobbles by and kicks it across the room.  Then goes over and picks it up.  I feel like a jerk, but I did tell her just to leave it.

We move into ANOTHER room and the doctor comes in.  Brandon's hearing test went ok, but not great.  In one ear, his hearing is less.  Still in the normal range, but at the line.  The doctor says that he has a narrow something or another which makes it difficult for his ears to equalize.  He gave him a prescription for Allegra-D (?) and wants to see him in 6 months to redo a hearing test so he has more information to compare the first test to.   The Allegra-D tells me that his hearing is probably less when his allergies are acting up or about to. 

We finally get home after a super long morning and Lil is still crazy ridiculous and I am trying to rest my...ass.  Brandon is trying to answer emails and phone calls.  Our evening finally starts to settle a little and it is time to give Lily a bath.  Brandon goes and gets her tub ready and I am letting her gnaw on my finger and I feel something sharp.  Not super sharp and after a little more prodding, I find the source.  She has cut her first tooth!  No wonder she was a pill today!  Now it's little and it still has a good bit more moving till it is very visible, but it's there and its through the skin!  She was feeding off of how excited we were and was very pleased with herself. 

After a serious adjustment to our nighttime protocol, Lily is sleeping and so is Brandon.  I took myself an ibuprofen 3, a pain pill from the c-section and I have been sitting on a heating pad all evening.  It is feeling a little better thank God!  If it's still acting up in the morning, I am going to try just taking the ibuprofen 3 and try to find a doctor. 

What a mess of a day.  I hope tomorrow is better, but who knows.